Will work on TN visa get me eligibility for Medicare if I choose to retire in US?

O

OneAppricot

New Member
Hi there
(Not sure where to post my questions as they are in grey area, kind of between taxes, non-immigrant visas and retirement. So decided to post under TN visa umbrella)
I'm a Canadian, never lived or worked in US.
Thinking of retirement, I would like to keep an option of retiring in USA open.
For that I think I need to be eligible for Medicare.
To be eligible for Medicare I think I need to contribute to SS for 10 years.
My current understanding is that I can work in US for 10 years on TN visa, while paying income taxes in both US and Canada.
I would like to keep only Canadian citizenship.
Questions:
1. Will I be eligible for Medicare at 65 in US if I'm not a US citizen and not a US permanent resident?
2. Will I be able to get full CPP pension if I was working 30 years in Canada and 10 years in US, while submitting tax returns in both countries and paying extra to Canada?
Thank you
 
1. Yes, you would be eligible for Medicare, but it would only cover (some) US-based medical expenses. Since you would no longer be a TN, you would not have a legally basis to live in US, but if you were vacationing in US, you could avail yourself of the services you would sign up (and pay premiums) for. You would need to determine if the Medicare coverage you sign up for is sufficient for your needs, supplementing it perhaps with private travel medical insurance.. To get the "free" Part A of Medicare, you must also pay for the Part B portion (about $150/mo), which often makes someone living in Canada think twice about paying this fee for something they already pay for in Canada through their taxes.

2. You will get whatever CPP you are eligible for, based solely on your Cdn work history. Your US history has no effect on CPP. You will NOT be permitted to contribute "extra" to CPP for work that is covered by SS, even if you file a CDn tax return (because you reside in Canada) and pay tax on that income. This double-dipping is forbidden by the totalization agreement. So you will get 30 years of CPP and 10 years of SS. Also. your SS will be reduced by a certain amount because you receive CPP, through a system called WEP.

That is all I will say on this here, since this is an immigration site, I invite you to seek more info on forums.serbinski.com
 
Thank you, Nelsona, much appreciate your very informative reply. I will continue asking questions on forums.serbinski.com, as you advised.
 
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